Although the Texas Rangers struck first with a 2-0 lead on Tim Lincecum, the San Francisco Giants jumped all over Cliff Lee to take Game One of the 2010 World Series. With a couple of Cy Young award winners facing off, Game One of the Fall Classic was expected to be a pitcher’s duel at spacious AT&T park, but neither hurler was on top of their game.

The Rangers got to Lincecum in the first inning when Vladimir Guerrero hit an RBI single to drive in Elvis Andrus. Texas scored again in the second inning with hits from Bengie Molina and Cliff Lee before Andrus hit a sacrifice fly.

The way Lee had been pitching this postseason, nobody would have been surprised if he could make the Rangers early 2-0 lead stand up. Instead, the Giants fought back and tied the game up in the third following an error, a hit batter and two base hits.

The Giants broke the game open in the fifth inning when the wheels came off for Lee. In that Giants bottom of the fifth with two outs and trailing 3-2, the “castoffs and misfits” had six consecutive hitters reach base, driving the score to 8-2. The biggest blow was a three-run homerun from Juan Uribe off Darren O’Day who had replaced Lee.

Lee’s final line was 4.2 innings pitched; seven runs allowed (six earned), one walk and seven strikeouts.

The Rangers, who had one of the best offenses in the league got two runs back in the top of the sixth off Lincecum who finished with 5.2 innings pitched and four earned runs allowed while picking up the win.

An inning after Tony Bennett came out and did his rendition of God Bless America, the Giants added three more runs in the eighth on four hits and two errors by Vladimir Guerrero. Texas had four errors on the night and Guerrero struggled in right field showing signs of normally being a designated hitter.

Texas mounted one final comeback attempt in the top of the ninth, scoring three runs on the Giants bullpen until Brian Wilson settled down and recorded the final two outs in a non-save situation, getting Ian Kinsler to pop out to end the game for an 11-7 Giants win.

Freddy Sanchez (three doubles and a single) and Andres Torres (three hits) had half of the Giants 14 hits on the night. Bengie Molina and Mitch Moreland were the only Rangers with multiple hits with two each.

Game Two will be Thursday night at 7:30 (ET). C.J Wilson (1-1, 3.93 this postseason) will get the ball for Texas against Matt Cain (1-0, 0.00). Wilson has never faced the Giants in his career and Cain won his only career start against the Rangers, pitching eight shutout innings.

Used with permission of the author.

 Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

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